That changed with the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, passed in 2015 when Barack Obama was president, which also finessed the definition of a currency manipulator.
It meant that, if a country designated a currency manipulator has not responded with policies to redress the balance of trade within a year, the president must block any projects in that country funded with US money.
The US government would also be barred from buying goods and services from that country.
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The US previously labelled China as a currency manipulator
Only one of these measures need be implemented - and can be overruled by a sitting president - but designating a country as a currency manipulator can therefore carry real world consequences.